Good post Tom, A few years back I was directly involved with BPL pilot tests as a consultant to major electric companies nationwide. I really enjoyed those days. I saw all kinds of equipment and to clarify Current Technologies is not the only maker of Medium Voltage WAN products. In fact, in all the pilot tests I was involved with, Current was only chosen once. My favorite manufacturer is Main-net (http://powerline-plc.com) because they didnt jumper around the transformer but rather went through it. Obviously this is a huge safety factor.
As far as speed, I saw generation 2 products running 20Mbps and even one product running at 100Mbps. Again this was a several years ago, I'm sure the product has matured since then. You are correct, electric companies saw huge benefits for internal use but the real reason it did not move forward was because electric companies are conservative by nature and they didnt like the heat coming from the ARRL over interference issues, which btw were not real. Note: Both low and medium voltage products were called PLC until 2003 when the FCC finalized the the acronymn BPL. -RickG On Fri, Nov 14, 2008 at 1:39 PM, Tom DeReggi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > There are two core BPL technology applications. Medium Voltage WAN > distribution, and Low Voltage LAN distribution. > > The Primary Medium Voltage product is made by Current Technologies. They > migrated to a model of being an ISP, or working in direct partnership with > the power companies. > Thus they have no value to offer a WISP. (But their technology works for > many applications). > The secret to their technologoes are easy "jumpers" to jump around the > transformers that kill teh BPL signal. > > The Low Voltage application is also named "PLC". > The Primary innovator of the technology was TelkoNet, who revolutionized it > for service providers. Sense then, Motorola jumped on the bandwagon with > thier PLC offering. I think it may be an OEM or license of Telkonet's > product/technology, but I don't know that for sure. But regardless > MOtorola's product is for equivellent applications as Telkonet's. > The secret of Telkonet, is using inexpensive HomePlug chipsets, and putting > them on steroids, (sorta like Alvarion does to a Atheros chipset). > > Telkonet's PLC solution is HIGHLY effective for in building distribution. We > have served buildings with as many as 400 tenants, successfully with the > technology. (up to 7mbps speed per grid). > > PLC is NOT for wide area distribution or community distribution as the > signal can't traverse across a transformer. > > Homeplug has hadd 200mbps chipsets out for a couple years, and all teh PLC > products had a migration path to it. Have not followed up with that, nor > tried any gear if it had become available. > > My tale on BPL is that the cost to deploy it is huge. For most WAN > distribution, you might as well jsut deploy the fiber, as the Speed that BPL > delviers is just not equivellent. > BPL is usually best used in combination with other technologoes, such as > with wireless and fiber. This is one of the reasons Power companies are not > jumping for joy about the technology. They aren't really prepared to be a > full scale connectivity ISP end to end. Just because the billing system and > last mile wire is there, doesn't mean all the other components are. > > In my opinion for BPL to take off, it really needs partnership models > between power companies, equipment makers, and ISP fiber/wireless > connectivity providers. > > The reason BPL can take off is.... There is a cost justification to the > Power company, just for meter reading alone. But not necessarilly a cost > jsutification to build out the speed needed for large scale hgih capacity > Broadband to compete with FTTH. > > Tom DeReggi > RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc > IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dennis Burgess - LinkTechs.net" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> > Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 5:41 PM > Subject: Re: [WISPA] IBM backs BPL > > >> Is there and BPL solutions out there that WISPs could take advantage of >> yet? Maybe beam in some high speed and then go to the community or >> subdivision? >> >> ------------------------------ >> * Dennis Burgess, CCNA, A+, Mikrotik Certified Trainer >> WISPA Board Member - wispa.org <http://www.wispa.org/> >> Link Technologies, Inc -- Mikrotik & WISP Support Services* >> *Office*: 314-735-0270 *Website*: http://www.linktechs.net >> <http://www.linktechs.net/> >> >> */ Link Technologies, Inc is offering LIVE Mikrotik On-Line Training >> <http://www.linktechs.net/onlinetraining.asp>/* >> >> >> >> Tom DeReggi wrote: >>> Just like everything else.... There is a useful place for anything, >>> somewhere. >>> >>> BPL is in no way a solution to solve the world's broadband problems. But >>> it >>> is clearly part of the solution, just like Wireless, DSL, or FTTH. >>> Some of the case studies here in Potomac Maryland were very successful, >>> and >>> in other areas just down the street, they were not. >>> >>> What I don't like to see is Municipal or Monopoly Subsidized approaches >>> that bank on a single technology for the solution to a given region. >>> There is no one-fit-all solution. I See BPL being an overlay to many >>> areas, as another competitor to add choice and options for consumers. >>> >>> Tom DeReggi >>> RapidDSL & Wireless, Inc >>> IntAirNet- Fixed Wireless Broadband >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Mike Hammett" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> >>> Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2008 1:47 PM >>> Subject: Re: [WISPA] IBM backs BPL >>> >>> >>> >>>> yeah, BPL is no good. >>>> >>>> >>>> ----- >>>> Mike Hammett >>>> Intelligent Computing Solutions >>>> http://www.ics-il.com >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -------------------------------------------------- >>>> From: "RickG" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>> Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 10:10 PM >>>> To: "WISPA General List" <[email protected]> >>>> Subject: Re: [WISPA] IBM backs BPL >>>> >>>> >>>>> When I was involved with BPL (back then known as PLC), all I ever >>>>> heard was HAM radio interference. >>>>> -RickG >>>>> >>>>> On Wed, Nov 12, 2008 at 9:12 AM, Jeff Broadwick <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081112/tec_broadband_over_power_lines.html?.v=6 >>>>>> >>>>>> Jeff Broadwick >>>>>> Sales Manager, ImageStream >>>>>> 800-813-5123 x106 (US/Can) >>>>>> +1 574-935-8484 x106 (Int'l) >>>>>> +1 574-935-8488 (Fax) >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>>>>> WISPA Wants You! 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